Cleanest beaches

Nearly two dozen beaches in San Diego County that are monitored year-round did not exceed bacterial standards during dry weather over the past year. For the full report, go to healthebay.org.

Oceanside

• projection of Tyson Street

• projection of Forster Street

•St. Malo Beach, downcoast from St. Malo Road

Carlsbad

• projection of Cerezo Drive

• projection of Palomar Airport Road

Encinitas

• San Elijo State Park, Pipes surf break

• San Elijo State Park, north end of State Park

stairs

• San Elijo State Park, projection of Liverpool Drive

Cardiff State Beach

•Charthouse parking, south of Kilkeny

•Las Olas, 100 yards south of Charthouse

•Seaside State Park

Solana Beach

• Fletcher Cove, projection of Lomas Santa Fe Drive

Del Mar

• projection of 15th Street

Ocean Beach

• Ocean Pier, projection of Narragansett Avenue

Sunset Cliffs

• projection of Ladera Street

Point Loma

• Point Loma Treatment Plant

• Point Loma Lighthouse

Coronado

•North Beach, near navy fence at Ocean Boulevard

• North Beach, NASNI Beach

• projection of Loma Avenue

No heat wave is on tap for local beaches this Memorial Day, but visitors who venture into the surf zone anyway have a pretty good shot at not getting sick.

County beaches continue to rank among the best in the state for water quality, according to the 21st annual report released Wednesday by the environmental group Heal the Bay in Santa Monica.

For the past year, none of the San Diego region's beaches earned Heal the Bay's "beach bummer" distinction for being among Southern California's most polluted spots, down from one -- in Mission Bay -- last year. And, the county by far had the most spots in California that earned an A+ for cleanliness during dry weather.

"The beaches are good but we still need to ... monitor these beaches to understand where the problem beaches are," said Kirsten James, water quality director for Heal the Bay. "And we still need to focus on the wet weather period because in San Diego, beachgoers are in the water year-round."

For wet-weather water quality, the group gave a handful of spots in the region D or F grades, including the San Luis Rey River outlet in Oceanside, the projection of Avenida de la Playa at La Jolla Shores, the projection of Carnation Avenue in Imperial Beach, and Border Field State Park near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Heal the Bay also noted that several sewage spills during last winter's storms fouled local coastlines.

The future of the annual analyses and similar products updated online is in doubt because there's no known funding source to continue beach water testing in San Diego County beyond this year, and similar funding woes plague the rest of the state. The cost of San Diego County's program is more than $300,000 annually.

Beach bummers

Heal the Bay identified 10 of the most polluted in Southern California. None were in San Diego County. The "bummers" are:

• Cowell Beach (at the wharf), Santa Cruz County

• Avalon Harbor Beach (Catalina Island), Los Angeles County

• Cabrillo Beach (harborside), Los Angeles County

• Topanga State Beach (at creek mouth), Los Angeles County

• Poche Beach, Orange County

• North Beach Doheny, Orange County

• Arroyo Burro Beach, Santa Barbara County

• Baker Beach (at Lobos Creek), San Francisco County

• Colorado Lagoon, Los Angeles County

• Capitola Beach (west of the wharf), Santa Cruz County

Heal the Bay's grading system is based on samples taken by more than 25 state, county and city agencies for fecal indicator bacteria, a widely used proxy for viruses other organisms that make people sick. The group's report card is among the most authoritative annual assessments of beach water quality and it updates online grades weekly based on current tests.

While the results of beach water report card are similar from year to year, proponents say they promote fixes by highlighting problematic spots. Also, some beachgoers fear that abandoning regular tests will return California to an era when beach pollution is rampant like it was before Assembly Bill 411 of 1997 became a national model and forced sampling at popular spots along the shoreline.

The biggest challenge for beaches statewide remains the same as it has been since 2008: the number of water samples taken has been falling and that means less precise data about pollution. Over the past year, Heal the Bay said roughly 2,800 fewer samples were taken than before budget cuts started under former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Some places along the shoreline must be tested by wastewater agencies that discharge to the ocean, but that just accounts for a fraction of the tests taken each summer. Heal the Bay said a "comprehensive" water-sampling program costs $2 million a year for California and adopting new rapid-testing technology would push the bill to $3 million. Federal funding is at about $500,000 for California, leaving a gap that's proving hard to fill.

"We don't have any plans to handle it," said Dave Clegern, a spokesman for the State Water Resources Control Board, which has helped to provide emergency funding for beach testing in recent years.

A spokesman for Supervisor Greg Cox said county officials aren't expecting any windfall from the state and they have a few more weeks to try to carve out funding in the county budget.

Rapid tests -- which can produce results in a few hours rather than a full day -- were studied in Orange County last year and plans are for a pilot project in Los Angeles County this summer. After that, many beach advocates hope they become the norm. If that happens, daily water quality warnings could be posted by noon, in time for beachgoers to avoid dangerous spots.